Left Behind
by Sabercy Salden
Summary: Amelia was able to get between the ogre and Carver in Lothering, saving his life. But was she really dead?
1. Chapter 1

Left Behind

Summary: Amelia was able to get between the ogre and Carver in Lothering, saving his life. But was she really dead? Her family believed she was, and is now trying to survive on their own in Kirkwall. Carver tries his best to lead, but sometimes that's just not enough.

I am a Fenris fan, he had me completely smitten the moment his hand crashed through the slavers chest. So this story will also run around him, and someone he 'Left Behind'... FHawke/Fenris pairing.

(This is my first Dragon Age 2 fan fiction so i'm giving it a whirl. Negative comments are as good as positive one's. So please leave me a comment if you read.) Yall know the drill, but I'm going to type it anyway. Bioware owns Dragon Age... I'm just having fun with their characters and settings. Think this will be rated M, just in case. Stay Warm!

_**Around Lothering, three weeks ago...**_

The world was empty... nothing but a dark void. Dark shadows rocked soothingly. They seeped into her mind; enticing her to forget reality, but gradually a burning sensation in her limbs swept the darkness away... leaving pain in its wake. Splinters shredded her brain, clearing the fog, making her gasp and choke. A sharp pain was logged in her chest, making it hard to get air in and out. Her mouth filled with a bitter copper taste, which she tried to spit out to get air easier. She struggled to open her eyes, but the world was a blur. The hum of noise slowly changed into a voice hovering above her.

"-notify the magister that she is awake, slave, and be quick about it." A woman hissed menacingly. She didn't recognize the voice.

"Yes mistress!" Someone gasped, scrambling out of the room.

Her body felt like it was filled with lead, even as her brain slowly became coherent.

"You were quite a catch... The magister will be very pleased with you, and you will please him if you wish to live **girl."** The last word was filled with hatred.

A hand was placed firmly on her brow causing her back to arch, forcing a scream to pierce the air. The scream coming from magic, and the act of moving. It made her aware that her body was severely stiff.

"Yes... scream for me slave. It is a symphony to my ears, and as delicate as a fine wine."

She heard the blood pounding in her ears with each heart beat, felt the boiling fire in her veins burning her alive. Her flesh felt as if someone was peeling it off slowly. The darkness that had once held her fought to drag her back. It caressed her tired body, enveloping her... she was tired, hungry... but before she could give in a harsh male voice penetrated the air.

**"What are you doing!"**

The pain immediately stopped. A weak feeling of nausea filled her, giving her enough time to turn her head. She violently coughed, throwing up over the side.

"I... I was just-"

"Get out. We will talk later **apprentice**_."_

"Yes Magister!"

The lights in the room dimmed for a minute. A rough cough still shaking her. A door opened and closed, leaving the man and new slave alone. Soon a gentle hand was placed upon her forehead.

"Rest now my dear."

**_Arriving in Kirkwall, 2 weeks later... _**

Carver gently helped his sister and mother off the boat. It had taken a taxing two weeks to reach Kirkwall, having been cramped with the fearful and desperate. They had all been located below deck, in cells, with a single blanket and chamber pot. It had been dark, and wet; moss could be seen growing on the floor and walls. Storms had plagued the sea making his sister lose her sea legs, but even so they had made it. Kirkwall was within reach, their eldest sister's sacrifice would not be in vain.

**oh Amelia... why did you do it? **

That thought ran through everyone's mind, but in the end the answer was always the same... She was a warrior; a fighter and protector to the very end. Carver had always felt in her shadow, he had hated that; and despised her for it. Now though... he wished she were here. She always knew what to do... and he had hated that too.

_**Kirkwall, One year later...**_

Carver sat with his back against the wall, if one could call it a wall. He was surprised it hadn't fallen apart yet. Bethany had gone to the market with Mother to buy bread materials, fruit, and cheese. It was a miracle they were able to find a safe place to save coin. Gamlen had a horrible habit of spending everything, and it was ticking him off. Now he knew how Amelia felt when he had taken money without asking...

Karma was a tricky thing indeed

Money would get no better either, unless he could get on that blasted deep roads trip. Then... maybe things would look up. He banged his head against the wall a few times. Mother did not need to know about the trip... not until it was too late to stop them.

Bethany and mother walked through the door, making him stand up.

Mother smiled, but her eyes were still haunted, "We were able to pick up everything we needed. The prices were reasonable today."

Bethany gently placed her hand on his shoulder, "Hello Carver." She made her way to the fire after giving him a gentle squeeze.

Things had been much better between him and Bethany. They had found a common ground. A knock on the door got his attention, "I'll get it mother."

Carver strapped his sword to his back, and quickly opened the door. A lone dwarf stood, with a pouch in his hand. He had brown eyes, pierced ears, but no beard, just a little stubble. A huge crossbow was on his back. He tossed the pouch at him.

"You lost that in the market. I'm Varric Tethras, how do you do?"

Carver quickly patted his body, but found no pouch.

**I had been pick pocketed... **

He rubbed his temple, trying to tempt the coming headache away. This had been the last pay check from the Red Iron... and they needed every scent.

"Carver."

"I apologize for Bartrand. My brother won't recognize a good deal even if it hits him in the jaw. Or any other area for that matter."

"And you would I take it?"

The dwarf's eyes twinkled, "I would! He doesn't understand that we need you. Nor would he ever admit it- too proud. I, however, am quite practical." he chuckled.

Carver turned his head, "Mother I'll be right back". He closed the door, and moved to stand near the dwarf.

"What are you playing at Varric? You don't even know me."

"On the contrary, you have made quite a name for yourself. 'Carver ' is on many lips these days."

Inside he grinned, but he kept his face casual. Him and Bethany were making this work... Amelia would be proud.

"Look, Bartrand is not looking for another guard, but a partner! Truth is, he has been going crazy trying to fund this expedition. He can't do it by himself. Invest 50 sovereigns, and he can't refuse. Not with me there."

That headache was coming back. "If I had that kind of money I wouldn't need to go on this expedition."

"We work together, you and I, and before you know it, you'll have all the money you need. What do you say?"

Carver looked at the sky. They needed this, and Bethany would want to do this anyway...

He held out his hand to the dwarf, "We'll do it."


	2. Chapter 2

"Bethany?"

Carver looked in the bedroom quietly, but his sister was nowhere to be found. They had returned a little over an hour ago, after securing their grandparents will. It was, without too much shock, disappointing to find out what their uncle had done. Family was supposed to look out for family. Specks of dirt picked that moment to land on his shoulder, causing him to glance up. Someone was on the roof...

He quickly left the house, heading for the stairs. There was a full moon tonight, which produced enough light for him to see. Drawing his blade he observed a women sitting on the ground staring at the stars.

His entire body relaxed once he saw it was Bethany. She looked almost peaceful, but the tears on her face destroyed that illusion. He placed the blade back in its carrier, and shuffled his feet quietly.

Her head zipped around as she grabbed the dagger from her belt.

"Carver" She put her weapons down, smiling up at him. "You look tired."

He shrugged and sat next to her. "Here, I found this. I think it's a picture of Mother."

He watched a warm light fill her eyes as she took the picture, "Where did you get this? Was it back at the estate?"

He didn't need to reply, the slight nod of his head was all she needed.

"I think this is Mother's betrothal portrait, from when she was supposed to marry the count!"

"It belongs to you. I'm glad you like it."

"I love it! It's nice to see her smile, even if just from a picture."

"That it is."

Bethany looked up into the sky, cradling the picture gently to her chest. She blinked, trying to keep the tears back. None of them had been able to grieve properly. There had simply been no time for it in the past year.

But now... now there was time. The rest of the world could wait.

He carefully wrapped his arm around his sister, pulling her closer to him. Her head landed on his shoulder as her arm rested around his waist.

"Learning how to control magic every day can become tiring. When this would happen, Father would take me outside and show me the stars. We would lie down in the grass and just... be free for awhile." she chuckled "When I was small I would always fall asleep curled against him, and he would have to carry me inside." The small smile left her face, and the tears broke through. "I miss her Carver. I miss her so much. I have the stars to remember Father, but there is nothing left for us to remember our sister by. Nothing! I've already forgotten her voice!"

He gently pulled her into his lap, tucking her head in the crook of his neck as she sobbed. His arms tightened around her. He missed her too. He missed her too...

_*****An hour later...*** **_

Carver rung his hands as he paced in the small living room. Taking a deep breath he willed himself to be steady and calm. He had just tucked Bethany into bed, the last thing he wanted was to wake her up. There was plenty of time to gather money for the expedition, and as long as his secret hiding place wasn't found by Gamlen... there was plenty of money to afford decent food.

Gamlen...

His uncle was really beginning to piss him off. Him and Bethany had come home to overhear an argument about paying rent. His hands curled into fists, they already paid for food, water, clothing... Now their uncle wanted rent too?

Bethany would be furious that he hadn't woken her for this, even more so that he was doing this alone. The streets at night were not safe by any means. Bandits and gangs were a constant danger. But he was a big boy now... a man. He didn't need anyone to protect him, he was the protector.

Carver blended into the shadows; it was high time he found out where all Gamlen's coin went.

After two hours the door finally creaked open. Gamlen didn't even look around to see if he was being followed. Carver trailed him all the way to high town, and watched as his uncle entered the 'Blooming Rose'.

He leaned against a pillar casually, "So this is where you go uncle..."

Heavy steps came from his side, but he didn't worry, "Varric"

The dwarf had a broad grin on his face, "Carver"

"What brings you here?" Carver crossed his arms across his chest, but kept his eyes on the Rose's door.

"I was heading to 'The Hanging Man', but on my way I spotted a warrior trying to be a rogue. I'll tell ya Carver... stick to being a warrior. If Gamlen had any brains he would have heard you blocks away."

Carver turned to glare at the short dwarf, who was smirking up at him. Maker help him, this man infuriated him in more ways than one... "Still think you're helping while burying us in debt to your brother?"

The grin never faulted while his brow arched, "Still riding side-saddle while bitching at the world?"

Carver couldn't help but chuckle, the dwarf may infuriate him but he was also one of his best friends. "Drinks later?"

"Never miss 'em. Now how about you talk to this uncle of yours?" Carver looked back at the door, and without another thought entered the establishment.

The place was crowded, filled with people dressed in a way that left little to the imagination. He tried to keep his eyes respectable, but failed miserably. Varric stood at his side, chuckling. "Ah, the wonders of anatomy! Your uncle is at the bar talking to Zel. I'll wait here."

Carver spotted his uncle nursing a mug of ale, talking to a women barely dressed. That must be Zel... he didn't want to know how Varric knew her. Too much information, even from a best friend, "Gamlen"

His uncle spun around, accidentally spilling his ale on the floor. "You! How dare-"

The women looked between him and his uncle, "Time's up". She walked away to mingle with the other guests, looking very glad to do so.

"Hmmm she looked very happy to leave Gamlen. Can't say I blame her."

"What are you doing here?" Gamlen was totally red in the face. He wasn't sure if it was shame, embarrassment, or anger. Could even be a mixture...

"I came to see where our rent's money was going. It certainly wasn't on the house... How was Zel?"

"The-"

"Don't even try it. All I have to do is look in the book over there." He pointed to the huge book. "-and it will show me how much coin you have spent, and who you have spent it on." He crossed his arms across his chest, "Now. I don't care if you spend your own money here, but you will not be taking another scent from us."

"I won't tell your mother if you don't." Gamlen turned away, ordering another ale.

"Deal. See? We finally agreed on something." He got up. "I wonder if pigs will fly next..." he muttered under his breath.

Carver walked over to see Varric stroking Bianca, "Are you stroking your crossbow again Varric?"

"Jealous Carver? I didn't take you as a man who played the other team. Although there is enough of me to go around." He smirked

Taking in his size, he shook his head. "Really? I'm not sure if there is."

"Ah it's not the size Carver, but how you use it."

He stifled a laugh as they left. Varric kissed Bianca quickly before placing her against his back. If there was some way for a man to marry a crossbow... Varric would find a way. At the very least him and Gamlen had a truce, how long it would last... that was the question. But he wasn't really worried. Mother would strangle her brother if she found out he spent time at the Blooming Rose. She was not a person you wanted to go against.

"I'll meet you at 'The Hanging Man' Varric, I need to run to Gamlen's house."

"I'll have a round of drinks ready. It'll be on my tab."

Varric entered the pub, as Carver quickly made his way to low town. The full moon still casted enough light for him to see. The air was not exactly clean, nor was the ground; but it was better than dealing with darkspawn. Way better than dealing with darkspawn. He ran around a corner, but stopped instantly. A group of thugs blocked his path.

"There he is!" A man in the front pointed. "Get him men, remember; we want him alive!"

Carver drew his blade. He looked behind him to see a group of thugs there as well. He had been ambushed, and not by amateurs either. This was a planned event. How had this happened?

As he began to dodge and strike at the men attacking him; his thoughts struck him harder than his enemies did.

_He was an __idiot__. What will this do to Bethany and Mother? What possessed him to think that he could walk the streets at night without trouble?_

The waves of attackers kept coming, it didn't matter how many he struck down. His sword swung in every direction he saw an opening.

"His strength is failing men, keep it up!" Carver saw the man who shouted that last order, and without thought threw his dagger at him. It embedded in his throat, causing a gush of arterial blood to sprout. He didn't like being called weak... even if it took an extra effort each second to handle his blade.

Carver _hurt. _He wasn't sure how much more his body was going to take. Cuts ran all over him, and his shirt was drenched in blood. But still he fought on... the blood couldn't be all his could it?

His legs buckled the next moment; but before he could fall a loud roar accompanied with a flash of bright white light clouded his senses.

Arms quickly wrapped around his torso, "It's alright."

Their was a painful throbbing in his head with each beat of his heart. His mouth felt incredibly dry; like he had just walked miles in the blazing heat. The world tipped sideways as his vision darkened. Carver wanted to protest, but there was simply no point. The pain was quickly ebbing away, leaving nothing to help him stay awake.

"Rest now."

The voice was male... and somehow it carried a peaceful comfort to his body. There was no worry or fear about who the man was... he just knew he was safe. He _felt _it. Deep within his bones, maybe even deeper than that... With no cause to worry, oblivion swallowed him whole, leaving his body to fully sag against the stranger. The stranger gently picked him up, and quickly dashed to his safe haven. He prayed no one else followed him, for their sake of course... it was deffinently not his best of days. What a mess.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey Guys! I'm sorry its taken so long, i will get better at this. Thank you to those who are reading this, whether you review or not, thank you so much for trying it out. Y'all rock!**

**To be safe: I don't own dragon age, i just like messing with the story line. **

Amelia turned her head to the side, stifling a groan. Some instinct urged her to remain as quiet as possible. For what reason? she didn't know. Slowly she opened her eyes, and took in the small room. It was more like a holding cell, containing a mattress, thin blanket, and a chamber pot in the opposite corner.

She sat up trying to remember how she got here. Nothing in the room looked familiar, and she couldn't remember anything past first waking up. Remembering the burning pain, made her body shiver slightly. Where was she? Who was she?

Her hands pulled at her threadbare tunic, and breaches. It barely covered her skin; lined with holes looking like it would fall apart at the slightest touch. She tried to get to her feet, but they slid on the damp ground.

The door immediately slammed open, allowing two armor clad humans to enter. One walked toward her, harshly picking her up and tossing her toward the other.

"The master demands your presence. You will follow us **slave**." He hissed at her, grabbing her arm.

Slave? She was a slave? The thought brought a wave of peace, but also a sense of dread. Had she been born a slave? Bought? What had happened to her memory? It was easy to keep up with the armored men, though it was not done by choice. The man would have just likely continued to drag her if she fell.

They took her up a flight of stairs, exiting the basement. She didn't realize how much the air had bothered her until she breathed in the fresh clean air. The basement air felt old, and damp. A yank on her arm drew her out of her thoughts as they took her up another flight of stairs. The house was amazing. Whoever this 'master' was, he was incredibly wealthy.

Down the hallway she saw a women in a blue robe cross her arms. She had short brown hair, with hard brown eyes. There was a feral, angry look to her. "It's about time, get back to your duties. I'll take her to the master."

The two men bowed, quickly leaving her alone with this strange woman who was eyeing her up and down. She easily looked into her eyes, not feeling the slightest intimidated. The woman seemed to find that not amusing, her lips thinning to a straight line.

"You will address me as 'mistress'." the woman walked toward her, "I look **very** forward to getting to know you... again." Something about that last word did not sit well with her, it almost seemed added. Her casual words though did nothing to hide the threat in her eyes. This woman was going to cause her trouble. If she hadn't already. "Now. Slave. You will follow me."

She followed the woman into a huge study, books lining every wall. A man sat in the middle of the room peering over a book, at their entrance he looked up. He was a young bearded man with short blond hair. The woman seemed to change as she strode to his left side, bending slightly to kiss his upraised palm. Her eyes turned loving, and her voice soft.

"Master I have brought the slave as you requested."

"I see that Hadrianna, leave us."

"Yes Master" The woman walked out, shooting a glare at her when the master wasn't looking.

The man leaned back in his chair, his eyes a deep brown, "Do you remember anything?" This was the voice that had told her to rest. A small part of her relaxed, while another part seemed to tense all the more. The mixed signals were confusing.

"No" The simple word cracked, making it sound like two words.

He stood up, walking over to a table to poor a glass of water. He opened his robe, taking out a small vile and pouring its contents into the water.

"Here, this will help."

She took it, only slightly caring that he had put something in it. The cool water felt too good, seeming to sooth her sore throat instantly. The man held his arms behind his back, grinning.

"Better?"

"Yes"

"Good." The grin fell from his face, and his eyes saddened. "You were in a horrible accident. We were able to save your body, but I'm afraid your memories may never return. It... was very close. How do you feel?"

"Confused."

He nodded again, and went back to settle in his chair. "Then I will do my best to explain. Your name is Andrea, meaning warrior. You were born a slave, here in my compound. Your mother and father died many years ago, when we were forced to flee from Tevinter. You are my body guard, and loyal servant; doing everything and anything I wish you to. My name is Serentis, though I demand that you address me as Master." His head turned to the side. "Any more questions my dear?"

"I am a body guard?" She looked at her arms, torso, and legs. They were lined with muscle, holding multiple scars she couldn't seem to remember getting.

"Yes, and you will be beginning your training shortly. I need you in top shape if you are to be of any use. Is that clear?"

"Yes... master." The word felt strange, but then again everything felt strange.

He grinned, "Very good, you relearn quickly."

* * *

><p>Andrea was half carried, half dragged all the way back to her cell. After speaking with the master, he had immediately started her training. Allowing her to eat only when the day was over. She felt comfortable with a blade, easily maneuvering it where it needed to go. It was an extension of herself, a part that she herself may not remember; but her body and muscles apparently did.<p>

Starting off had been easy; she had out moved, out skilled, and outran every man in the compound. It started to become challenging when her master would rotate the guards, sending the injured inside while bringing the freshly rested to fight. One on one, even three on one; she could easily take down. It became a full blown struggle though by the end of the day. Serentis had made five armored men rush her, over and over again. She fought hard but they managed to get too many good hits on her. Now one of the guards was having to drag her back... and he was not happy about it.

The guard tossed her inside her cell, slamming the door. She couldn't help but grin, take pleasure in the little things. Even if it's as little as hurting a guys ego.

Andrea pulled herself up enough so she could eat, and drink. She had impressed the master, but did she really want to do that? There was something about him that she did not like... least she hadn't seen that woman again.

Footsteps approached outside her cell. They were light, but quick in anticipation, feminine... Wait. How the hell did she know that?

The door opened.

"Hello little slave... it is time."

Great...


End file.
